Time for guilt-free indulgence as we celebrate International Chocolate Day
Research has found that chocolate, when eaten in moderation, can actually lower blood pressure
CHOCOLATE milk, hot chocolate, a chocolate candy bar, chocolate cake, brownies… anything covered in chocolate!
Today is the day for chocolate lovers to rejoice.
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Celebrated across the globe on 7 July, International Chocolate Day is a special tribute to mankind’s greatest culinary discovery.
Chocolate comes from the cacao bean of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree.
Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia and grows in Mexico, Central America, and the northern parts of South America.
So valued were the cacao beans, they actually acted as a form of currency way back in the bitter chocolate days — before they added sugar.
Since cacao beans have a very intense, bitter taste, they have to be fermented to develop the flavour.
Once chocolate was sweetened in the 16th century in Europe, the masses caught on and turned chocolate into the powerhouse treat we know today.
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Making chocolate from cacao pods
Once the cacao pods are picked, cleaned of pithy white material from the fruit and dried, the cacao beans are fermented.
The papery shell is removed and cacao nibs are revealed. Chocolatiers then grind them into cocoa mass, separate them into cocoa solids and cocoa butter, and combine them with milk and sugar – or in the case of white chocolate, just the chocolate butter with milk and sugar.
Today, dark chocolate is a big trend because it contains far less sugar and is considered a healthier option.
Equatorial countries such as Ghana, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast have the ideal climate for cacao trees and produce some of the world’s best chocolate.
Chocolate has a rich history, with several present-day chocolate manufacturers beginning operations in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Cadbury was started in England in 1868. Some 25 years later, Milton S Hershey purchased chocolate processing equipment at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and began by producing chocolate-coated caramels.
Nestlé, which dates back to the 1860s, has grown from a chocolate manufacturer to one of the largest food conglomerates in the world.
For all the chocolate lovers out there, today is your excuse to indulge in this deliciously historical treat!
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